Could First Responders Bypass Your Condo/HOA Security System in an Emergency?
HOAleader.com - Tip of the
Week - September 8, 2023
In this week’s tip, we report on a distressing dashcam video that shows emergency responders delayed in trying to help a two-year-old child who drowned when they were attempting to enter a gated HOA
community.
Are your systems prepared to ensure rapid access in an emergency?
"If yours is a gated community, you need to be proactive and make sure there’s a way for emergency responders to access your community," notes Elizabeth White, counsel at the law firm of Sands Anderson PC in Williamsburg, Va., where she leads the firm's national community association industry team.
At least in Michigan, the numbers of gated communities are growing, reports Kayleigh Long, a member with Hirzel Law in Farmington, Mich., which represents hundreds of community associations throughout Michigan. "We always advise boards to find out what the local government may require," she explains. "Many times,
they’ll require that gated communities install what are called Knox boxes. Those are located outside somewhere near the gate, and they provide emergency personnel a key or code to access the community. That’s what I’ve typically seen from local governments."
Those types of boxes are also used in Hawaii. "I don’t have tons of gated communities—we probably have more secured buildings like high rises," says Richard S. Ekimoto, a principal at Ekimoto & Morris in Honolulu, who has practiced community association law for nearly 40 years and is a College of Community Association Lawyers fellow.
"Some properties have a box with a security key or access keys that allow people to get in," he explains. "Those are made available to first responders. That’s probably more common for secured high-rise buildings, but it’s also possible for gated communities. Some associations have access codes that are made available to first responders. Of course, the biggest issue is
whether the actual firefighter or ambulance person knows what those codes are."
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President